The Island of Dr. Moreau is a science fiction novel by H. G. Wells.
Ranked among the classic novels of the English language and the inspiration for several unforgettable movies, this early work of H. G. Wells was greeted in 1896 by howls of protest from reviewers, who found it horrifying and blasphemous. They wanted to know more about the wondrous possibilities of science shown in his first book, The Time Machine, not its potential for misuse and terror. In The Island of Dr. Moreau a shipwrecked gentleman named Edward Prendick, stranded on a Pacific island lorded over by the notorious Dr. Moreau, confronts dark secrets, strange creatures, and a reason to run for his life.
While this riveting tale was intended to be a commentary on evolution, divine creation, and the tension between human nature and culture, modern readers familiar with genetic engineering will marvel at Wells’s prediction of the ethical issues raised by producing “smarter” human beings or bringing back extinct species. These levels of interpretation add a richness to Prendick’s adventures on Dr. Moreau’s island of lost souls without distracting from what is still a rip-roaring good read.
Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None was not the only classic I thoroughly enjoyed reading last week. I also had the immense pleasure of reading The Island of Dr. Moreau.
I'm apparently a huge fan of H.G. Wells. I absolutely loved The War of the Worlds the first time I read it, and last year I was blown away by The Time Machine. I picked up The Island of Dr. Moreau because it's on my reading bucket list, but at this point I need to declare H.G. Wells as one of my favorite authors of all time.
The Island of Dr. Moreau actually reminded me quite a bit of The Time Machine. Both are a retelling of the main character's journey to a strange place with strange inhabitants.
There is no better combination than science and horror, y'all.
8/10: Great Read
This is another one I've always been curious about but never actually read. I know there have been some recent books inspired by this story as well. I actually want to read The Time Machine a little more, but will probably get both at some point- along with some of Verne's stuff, another writer I'm ashamed to say I haven't read much of yet.
ReplyDeleteI do prefer The Time Machine (and The War of the Worlds) to Dr. Moreau, but they are all really great reads. I need to read Verne, too.
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